


One Light

by MidoriKurenaiYume



Series: Far on the Water [5]
Category: Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Betaed, Dialogue, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Romance, Worry, narration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-05-09 08:41:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14712830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidoriKurenaiYume/pseuds/MidoriKurenaiYume
Summary: How Gilgamesh and Arturia approached the subject of children, especially once it became unavoidable.





	1. I press on through the wilderness

**Author's Note:**

> As this is part of a series, I recommend reading Believe, Heavenly Blue, Ring Your Bell and Identify first ;) This takes place about one year after those fics.
> 
> Title: from a Kalafina song, their 18th single and also part of the album 'Far on the Water'; the chapters' titles are lyrics from the song 'One Light', translated by the canta-per-me forum ;)  
> Thank you so much to MimiBlue for editing!!! :D

…

…

…

The hidden village known as El Dorado had long since been accustomed to its royal family governing them well, along with the fact that the family usually offered them very little material for gossip and such.

At least, that was the case until king Gilgamesh decided to get married.

It hadn’t been truly surprising when he had not chosen any of the women from the village, as the population was mostly made of males, and unfortunately very few women were of suitable age for the young king. As was soon known – thanks to the curious whispers of the servants at the castle – the king therefore left to visit the nearest town in search of a wife.

When the future queen arrived, her beautiful appearance and firm but gentle demeanour were quick to obtain the people’s approval. Of course, at first there were some cynics who labelled her as far too pretty and young to be an adequate ruler, but her behaviour soon made it obvious that there was nothing to back up such an argument.

She was a very strong-willed and kind-hearted woman, whose tenacity and unending energy first earned her everyone’s admiration, and whose unmistakable dedication and hard work later earned her everyone’s respect as well.

It had taken her a surprisingly short while to understand how things were running at the village, and she took charge of her work without the least of complaints. Everything ran smoothly under her directives, and after seeing and appreciating the fact that she knew what she was doing, no one had anything to object about her orders.

She and the king took care of very different duties, both around the castle and about more direct governing. Since she was an outsider, following her daily life became a very interesting subject to talk about, and people needed little time to realize that their royalties were very, very busy during the days, since taking care of the kingdom’s affairs left them with no free time to dedicate to anything else.

While it was uplifting to see their king and queen so focused on the welfare of the village, it was a bit frustrating – for those who wished to see more of their romance – that they rarely had the occasion to work together, especially since people loved observing them as a couple.

Some servants had claimed they had witnessed some startlingly cold glances and minimal interactions between them, but those kind of rumours had been dismissed as false within days. There was nothing concrete that suggested that the marriage between king and queen wasn’t the very best in terms of affection and romance, after all.

The king’s genuine interest in his wife wasn’t hard to see, as it was rare for a day to pass with him not concerning himself with a matter or the other that was about her. The servants always witnessed it with great delight, and something they could all confirm was that, whenever she was in the room with him, his eyes never wandered far from her.

It was a pleasant surprise to see their fair but usually rather detached king – most of the time wholly unconcerned about anyone specific – openly displaying his obvious love for his wife.

As far as the queen was concerned, given that she was very kind but also very reserved, it was much harder to determine _her_ feelings. Yet since it was more difficult, observing her was a challenge, a very interesting one for the people, and after a while they had the satisfaction of not being disappointed in their expectations.

At the beginning, everyone had had to adjust to the efficient difference the new queen had brought in terms of running the castle – and the entire village – therefore there hadn’t been much time to observe her behaviour with her husband. However, after a few months, when things had finally settled, there was little else to catch the attention of the servants aside from the queen’s small but consistent outward signs that she was deeply in love with the king.

Their royalties certainly became more open in their interactions, people noticed, because even though all their conversations happened behind closed doors, from the fact that they were now heard talking to each other much more often, it was assumed that they had settled in the routine and were having more free time. By often overhearing their talks – although only an indistinct murmur reached the servants – they were never heard raising their voices, therefore it could be ascertained that they were most certainly never arguing.

After a while, the queen also started to take part to the meetings with the king and his subordinates and, according to Enkidu, Emiya and a monosyllabic Kirei, her contribution to those meetings was never shallow.

In fact, as time passed, the people were intrigued to see that it happened more and more often that the king and queen, instead of dividing their duties between them, tended to take care of them _together_. If before they had been mostly separated during the days, after a while it became much more common to see them converse animatedly as they went from overseeing the harvest to the work in the kitchens to the dusting and finally to the production of textile products, all together.

They even started to administer justice together; everything was done in reciprocal company, and at the same time, obviously for the good of the village.

The change had not come suddenly. There had been a moment in which the queen had started to worry the servants, as she seemed to have become paler, more withdrawn and even looked slightly ill in appearance.

But of course the king had not missed it either, and had made sure she would rest and relax briefly, going out riding with her and taking care of her health himself, not allowing anyone else in their rooms for a few days. It seemed to have been what was needed to bring the queen back to her usual self, but even better, to the servants’ joy, their usual interactions seemed to improve afterwards as well.

Not that they had ever been hostile before; they had simply been much more reserved and conducted away from anyone’s eyes.

Now it seemed that everything was stabilized, and it was much less uncommon to see the king steal a kiss from his wife in public without hesitation, with the queen never seeming displeased by such an action and sometimes even answering in kind.

Indeed, El Dorado wasn’t a particularly complicated village, as it had no scandals nor any striking events taking place.

People simply took delight into leading their everyday lives in hard work and good humour, and with occasional excited chatter about their royalties, hoping to soon hear some good news about their possible offspring.

…

…

Arturia frowned, unable to find a valid reason for her predicament. Maid Illya, who was folding her nightclothes, gave her an inquisitive look, wondering why the queen appeared to be so displeased with her wardrobe.

Gilgamesh had already gone to the vineyard to oversee the work there, therefore Illya had immediately come to help her out.

Even though Arturia had already told her several times that there was no need for such a thing, lately she had been feeling a bit fatigued; so much, in fact, that she had declined going out riding with her husband as she usually did, oddly feeling too nauseous for that kind of exercise. Illya had then pleaded so sweetly that Arturia had finally given in and made her happy by allowing her to help her get dressed.

Right now, however, her help was _definitely_ needed, because for some reason the new corset in her dark blue gown – Gilgamesh had unceremoniously torn in half the previous one and had therefore gifted her a new one – was not cooperating. She needed to get dressed quickly, for there was a lot of work to do, but her clothes did not seem inclined to be of help.

Frustrated, she finally gave in and called, “Illya, would you please tie the straps for me? They’re usually easy to close, I think they may have gotten stuck somewhere.”

Illya was at her side in a moment, all too happy to lend her a hand, but she was soon equally puzzled.

“They seem not to close around your waist, my queen…”

There was a moment of silence, a fraction of a second in which they both stared down at Arturia’s slightly different shape at her waist, witnessing the small but definite bump, and both their eyes widened as realization dawned on them.

With a broad smile, and clapping once in joy, Illya was about to open her mouth to congratulate her, but Arturia sharply turned around and faced her, with a stern expression that took the girl aback.

“Illya, please go call your mother. Before deciding to dedicate herself to cooking, Irisviel was the palace’s healer and midwife, if I recall correctly. And also,” her eyes had a steely glint in them, “not a word of this to anyone, not until I speak with my husband, for first I need to have confirmation about it and then I intend to tell him myself. Please don’t let any rumours spread.”

Intimidated by the queen’s harshness, but knowing that it was needed because otherwise she would have indeed been gushing about the news to every person she met, Illya nodded mutely before making her way to the door and quietly closing it behind her.

The moment before Arturia disappeared from her sight, Illya could see, to her confusion, how completely and utterly blank her expression appeared to be.

…

…

Less than an hour later, after sending Irisviel and Illya away again, Arturia remained sitting on the bed, staying very quiet for a while.

She was pregnant. She was going to have a baby.

Irisviel had recommended she rest, as it was rather obvious that she felt exhausted.

Suppressing a scowl at how her body was betraying her, Arturia let her hands fist in the sheets of the bed that her husband had vacated just a little over two hours before. As frustrating as it was to admit, they did look rather inviting.

But she had so many things to do…

Just a brief while, she decided. She felt really tired, and a short nap was going to help.

She lay down, holding the warm covers around herself. They were simply too comfortable…

...

...

...


	2. I can make my dreams come true

…

…

…

Gilgamesh frowned, annoyed and confused. Arturia was late for their meal, and that was something that had never happened before. He had just come back from the vineyard, and had assumed her to be inside the castle; so far, however, there had been no sign of her.

Eventually, not seeing her anywhere in the rooms, he called for the cook, Irisviel, and had to narrow his eyes in suspicion at seeing her fidget, not quite meeting his eyes when he asked her about his wife’s whereabouts.

Not daring avoid the question completely, she evasively replied, “The queen is asleep, resting, my lord.”

He didn’t miss her reticence, but he was too surprised by her words to focus on her behaviour, and dismissed her before rapidly heading to his room.

Arturia never indulged in rest – unless she was together with him of course, when he took great pleasure in not allowing either of them to leave the bed – as she always placed her duties first, therefore this sudden change in her habits was baffling.

During the past year, after every barrier between them had finally disappeared, Gilgamesh had been pleased to see how things had seemed to take a turn for the better, especially since now she openly showed that she trusted him. The sternness that had sculpted her features in the months immediately after their marriage had softened, and often going riding with him had made her find enough moments to rest so that her expression looked far more relaxed.

Yet while it was indeed exhilarating to see her no longer pale and tired but comfortable and happy, nothing was better than seeing her be _herself_ again, as the woman he had met in town, fallen in love with and married.

Now suddenly hearing that something was wrong with her to the point that she was resting in the middle of the day was more than enough to concern him deeply.

As soon as he reached their rooms, he opened the door slowly, not entirely sure about what to expect.

She was indeed deep asleep, looking calm and peaceful, the bed sheets surrounding her body and moving slightly with every quiet breath. He only took a moment to stare at her, before going to carefully sit down next to her. He noted that it was even more surprising that she didn’t wake up at that, as her sleep was usually light and easily disturbed.

He frowned, feeling more uneasiness creep through him. She had slept soundly that night, nestled in his arms, and he had not seen anything strange or wrong with her in the morning. Surely she wasn’t getting sick, was she? Being so deep asleep and for such a long time, well into the morning, past midday – if she wasn’t ill, there was certainly something not quite right with her.

His hand went to her shoulder, removing the sheets slightly in order to caress her skin directly, and thus managing to stir her awake. He watched her intently as she blinked and slowly focused on him, and he felt some of his worry begin to leave him.

“It’s well past noon, my love. Why are you still asleep?”

She blinked again, still drowsy, but when she finally registered his words, she bolted up from the bed, then immediately leaned back again with a wince as she swayed a little.

His eyebrows rose as he caught her elbows and examined her face closely. It was odd for her to look so pale; he was probably right in suspecting that she was sick.

She sounded quite dismayed when she murmured, still in a slight daze, “Already afternoon…? I did not expect this…”

“Arturia, what is the matter with you? What happened?”

To his surprise, she didn’t immediately meet his eyes, but instead kept staring at the bed, as if she was determining what words to use, while still blinking the sleep out of her eyes. She was this careful only when the matter she had to discuss was important, and he narrowed his eyes. Something was _seriously_ not right with her.

Eventually, she looked up at him and, after briefly exhaling, she informed him, with a strange tone, “I will have you know, Gilgamesh, that this is actually _your_ fault.”

Now it was his turn to blink. _What_ was going on here?

Arturia grimaced slightly, cautiously bringing herself to a sitting position, taking up the linens to wrap them around herself protectively.

“I’m pregnant. We are going to have a child.”

He froze, his eyes fixated on her. _Oh_.

So this was what this was all about: his beloved wife… was pregnant.

They were going to be _parents_.

He had noticed the frustration in her tone, but he disregarded it as he leaned in and kissed her passionately.

Taken by surprise, she found her lips pleasantly engaged by his in a kiss that stole her breath away, but then she composed herself and struggled to push him back slightly, holding an outstretched arm between them so that he couldn’t distract her with his sinfully tempting mouth anymore.

“Gilgamesh – _what_ are you doing?”

He smirked, still too elated by the news and relieved that Arturia wasn’t sick as he had feared.

“Kissing my beloved bride, of course.”

However, she narrowed her eyes and took him aback by hissing, “So you are _pleased_ to hear about this pregnancy?”

His eyebrows rose as he observed her attentively. He had not noticed right away, but her hands were fisted in the bed sheets, and they were actually trembling slightly.

Arturia was _upset_.

Beginning to get worried again, he questioned, “You aren’t?”

“I–… No, I am… that’s not what I meant.”

She took a deep breath, and her eyes averted from him for a moment, before coming back to meet his. One of the many things he loved about his wife was that she would not be satisfied until she clarified everything that was on her mind, making sure that nothing was left unsaid and that there was no room for misinterpretation or misunderstandings.

“Of course I’m happy with the idea of having a child. The problem is the timing of the pregnancy, with everything else that needs to be done here at the village.”

His eyebrows lifting even more, he encouraged her, “What do you mean?”

She heaved a sigh, making her distress obvious.

“Be so kind as to inform me how I am going to manage to take care of a baby with everything else that requires my attention. I absolutely refuse to neglect my child, but it’s going to be nearly impossible to balance that with my duties and with all the work that still needs to be done.”

Gilgamesh’s features turned stony.

“Arturia,” he said carefully, “what makes you think that you will be the sole caretaker of the child?”

To his surprise, she threw him a dirty look, shifting slightly on the bed to obtain a more comfortable position.

“I will _not_ have the maids look after my baby–”

Deadpan, he interrupted her, “Arturia – please remember that our child is going to have a father too. And I assure you that the father will not allow him or her to be neglected either.”

The way his wife’s eyes widened in shocked surprise made him smirk broadly at her and then take her into his arms firmly, pressing his lips to her cheek chastely.

He knew that he would have normally felt enraged at finding out that Arturia had believed that the child would be dumped on her. However, he knew that this time it was mostly the servants’ fault, as they had told his wife about the village’s traditions and about the fact that the queen was traditionally the one who took care of the children. Even Enkidu had mentioned it a few times, and since it was what had happened in his own infancy as well, Gilgamesh knew that unfortunately it was a stern, ancient custom that was always respected.

Luckily for himself, he had never cared one bit about that kind of traditions, and he wasn’t about to start now.

“I’m not going to leave the child solely to your care and ignore you both,” he told her categorically, making sure she could not mistake his seriousness.

She stared at him for a brief while, as if to judge his sincerity, and a small smile appeared at the corner of her mouth – only to disappear a moment later, when she scowled again.

“Fine, then. I can’t deny that I’m really pleased to hear such a thing, but that’s unfortunately not the only problem. The fact that we can’t allow our child to be neglected means that he or she will need a rather large amount of time and attention.” She looked slightly forlorn as she continued, “I don’t have the time to play mother right now.”

Gilgamesh studied her, before simply uttering, “It wouldn’t be a ‘game to play’ in the least, my love. There’s absolutely nothing wrong in being both parents _and_ sovereigns. Everything can be balanced.”

She studied him as well, and finally seemed to accept his calm reply, because she smiled, and he was pleased to see that it was the full, genuine, warm smile that he loved the most.

This time, she was the one who leaned in for a new kiss, and he was more than happy to have it deepen much more than the previous one.

…

…

“My king… Gilgamesh…” Enkidu hesitated, so Archer took over.

“My king, what is more important, your wife Arturia or the village?”

Gilgamesh lifted an eyebrow at the trifling question.

“Both, obviously.”

He had to hold back a sigh though, because he knew that his advisors were again trying to bring up the matter of traditions – but he was _not_ going to allow that.

Before he could continue though, Kirei spoke, his tone as monotonous and void of whatsoever inflection as usual.

“The only thing we are saying is that the child will require a lot of time, and the kingdom should not be neglected.”

Ice in his tone, Gilgamesh gave all three a hard stare before saying, uttering every syllable slowly, “Without Arturia, this village wouldn’t be half as prosperous as it is now, and you know better than to underestimate either her or our obligation to our work. Don’t _ever_ bring this subject up again.”

His steely tone clearly indicated that his word was final and, reassured about the situation being under control after all, the advisors were indeed smart enough not to make the mistake of insisting on the subject.

...

...

...


	3. I go towards a tomorrow that begins from here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this, the story is basically concluded ;) there will however be one last one-shot to complete the series ;)))
> 
> Thank you so much to the lovely HiddenCamellia for her support, for her friendship in real life and for her encouragement with fanfictions ;))  
> And of course heartfelt thanks go to MimiBlue for editing :D

…

…

…

Gilgamesh stared at Arturia a little worriedly. He had not expected her entire body – not just her belly – to change so much with the pregnancy, and the different shape never ceased to amaze him.

In particular, when one evening he saw her stomach suddenly move slightly, as if on its own, and realized that the baby had just _kicked_ , he couldn’t help staring at Arturia in wonder. She caressed her rapidly growing belly with fondness, and laughed softly when the baby kicked again.

However, he felt an odd emotion as he witnessed that, and suddenly found himself giving it more thought than he would have expected.

The idea of a little baby was starting to seem more problematic. He did not mean to go back on his word in the least, he was never going to ignore his child or put the responsibility solely on his wife – that was not what was starting to worry him. He had been instead considering the amount of attention the child was going to need, and he was beginning to realize that such a thing meant that a lot of his beloved Arturia’s time was going to be dedicated to the baby.

Their child was going to take his wife from him.

As soon as he had that thought, he knew that it was probably a rather immature and childish one. He knew that Arturia loved him, and the arrival of a baby was not going to change that.

There was nothing to be so irrationally worried about.

At least that was what he thought until Irisviel and Merlin – the healer who had been Irisviel’s teacher – visited his wife a little more regularly a couple of months later. Gilgamesh was not allowed inside the room, so he impatiently waited outside for a while; but, once he was finally able to be at Arturia’s side again, he was taken aback at seeing her face looking oddly expressionless.

She waited for Irisviel and Merlin to close the door and leave her alone with her husband, and then she blankly stated, “There won’t be a baby to take care of.”

Perplexed by her words, his crimson eyes darted from her face to her swollen belly and back. Then her green orbs flashed in what he recognized as a weird form of frustration.

“There will not be a baby – there will be _two_.” She threw him a dirty glance. “ _How_ did you manage to get me pregnant with _twins!?_ ”

It was obvious, from her tone, that she was not truly displeased, just a little irritated by the suddenness of the discovery.

Gilgamesh, on the other hand, was completely petrified.

Not one, but _two_ babies. Two children who were going to take his Arturia from him. The idea of just one child was already hard to accept, but now _two_ …

He was _not_ going to allow such a thing to happen. Their children could not have the right to take up his wife’s time. He needed to find a solution.

He broke out of his thoughts when he noticed that Arturia was staring at him and had called his name twice already. He looked back at her and gathered, from her confused expression, that he had most likely kept a stony face for the entire time his thoughts had absorbed him.

With effort, he brought himself back to the present, as he knew that she was going to ask for an explanation. But before he could say anything, she asked a different question of her own.

“Gilgamesh – are you actually _afraid_ of being a father?”

He shot her an incredulous look, wondering where she could have gotten such an idea.

Therefore, her question was first met with absolute silence, but then he replied with a belated yet firm, “No.”

It was the complete truth. If he had managed to govern a large village and had earned Arturia’s love, respect and trust, then taking care of a child, or two children, who needed to be guided every step of the way – especially while still very young – was not going to be that complicated of a challenge.

Bringing forth every bit of patience she possessed, Arturia waited, knowing that her husband’s odd reaction would be explained soon enough.

Her patience was rewarded when he continued, with extreme reluctance, “However, what I cannot accept is the fact that a baby, or in this case, two babies, are going to take you from me.”

She shook her head, believing she understood what he meant, even though she was maybe a bit baffled by the suddenness of it.

“They will not take me from you,” she stated firmly. “I’m not going to die in childbirth.”

Her husband’s frown however deepened even more at her words and his crimson eyes clouded over slightly.

“While I am aware of the dangers of childbirth, and they do not leave me unconcerned, I wasn’t referring to that right now. I meant… I was thinking of the _time_ the children are going to need.”

Arturia stared at him, and he could see how she was thinking carefully about his words, before her expression turned into one of pure astonishment.

Her fingers slowly moved, reaching up for his face.

“Let me understand this… you are currently _scowling_ at the idea of our future children because they will need attention, attention that you are displeased they will absorb, not because of our duties, but because it will take _me_ from you?”

It could have been slightly mortifying to have his fears bared in front of her so unequivocally, but he just met her eyes unflinchingly.

“Yes. That’s exactly what displeases me.”

He was surprised however when she sighed and stepped towards him, giving him a small smile.

“Gilgamesh,” then she seemed to hesitate a little. “I am not entirely sure how to say this, because it’s such a strange feeling.” She didn’t move to embrace or kiss him, but the look in her eyes was intense enough to leave him little doubt about the fact that she wanted to do just that. “I never thought you would so openly tell me how strongly you feel for me.”

His lips captured hers, kissing her far longer and deeper than she expected, one of his arms carefully going around her waist to hold her firmly, the other behind her head, going through her blonde locks to keep her close to him. Her hands moved as well, letting her fingers sink into his hair and accidentally tugging at it a little.

He separated from her only to look into her eyes steadfastly.

“I refuse to let you leave me just for two babies.”

“But I won’t.” She was smiling again, still holding him tightly to her. “You promised that you would not make me be the children’s sole caretaker. As you said, the parents are two. You can do this _with_ me, _together_ with me. So you don’t lose a moment of my time, and I don’t lose you either. Did you already forget that I refuse to let you leave me as well?” She smiled broadly. “You’re mine.”

He grinned broadly. His wife was simply perfect.

“I could never forget it, but I cannot say I have anything against you reminding me of it.”

She would have smacked him, had his lips not descended on hers again, preventing her from thinking about anything that wasn’t his loving and yearning kiss.

…

…

Arturia glared at him, sitting across the room, and stiffly informed him, “My body may be unable to move at the moment, Gilgamesh, but my mind is fully active, which I hope you’re aware of.”

He gave a long glance at his over seven-month pregnant wife, a slow smile stretching his lips.

“I’m fully aware of that, and that is the reason why I’m here reading the scrolls aloud with you.”

She only huffed and attempted, unsuccessfully, to shift her position enough to stand up, but gave up when she noticed her husband’s concerned eyes on her.

Grumbling under her breath, she huffed again, staring up at the ceiling. Being forced to rest because two babies were growing inside of her was seriously testing her patience. It didn’t help that she also felt her body being far too heavy to engage in any kind of movement or activity.

“I think I look like one of your beloved wine barrels,” she grumpily stated, in full earnestness, and Gilgamesh almost did a double take as he valiantly tried not to laugh.

He could not stop himself from attempting to soothe her by teasing her lightly.

“Then I will only love you more, Arturia, as you know that I love my wine.”

A fraction of a second later, in the sudden ominous silence, Gilgamesh realized his mistake.

Arturia pursed her lips and slowly turned her eyes away from the ceiling to stare at him. Had he been a lesser man, he would have gulped.

“So it’s not just an impression. I actually _do_ look like a barrel.”

His incautious comment had made sure that yelling was just about to commence.

…

…

Even exhausted, sweaty and pale as a shadow, Arturia could manage to be menacing.

“No other kids,” she seethed, her blonde hair framing her face and sticking to her sweaty skin. “Twins are too much. Far too much.”

Holding the two babies, a boy and girl, in his arms in a way that would allow his tired wife to see everything he did with them, he wished he could kiss her, but he could see that she was already drowsy and about to fall asleep.

She was still waiting for his answer though.

The two little bundles in his arms – their children – were beautiful, but since they were the children he had with his beloved wife, he would love them regardless, especially since his fear of losing her to them had thankfully been put to rest.

But that didn’t mean that he wished for more of them, unless Arturia wanted to. Therefore, he smiled, oddly gently.

“On this, I will happily leave the decision fully to you.”

…

…

“They are loud,” he commented, while rocking little Jini.

Arturia raised an eyebrow, watching over Shaan, who was already dozing in his cradle.

“Screaming is the only communication method they have. Do you think you were quiet as a toddler?”

Gilgamesh smirked, amused by the question.

“Strangely enough, I wasn’t the most talkative of children. However, my dear, it wasn’t a complaint; it was merely an observation.”

She tilted her head to the side.

“And what is wrong with the children not being silent?”

“Mostly lack of proper sleep for us, but that is bearable.”

He sighed, while Jini, wide awake, merely giggled at him once she managed to catch one of his sleeves and refused to let go. He had to prevent her from stuffing it into her mouth, and a minuscule pout appeared on her full cheeks.

“Children are… demanding,” he finished, frowning.

Arturia stifled a laugh; he noticed and inquisitively stared at her, slightly affronted at witnessing her mirth at his predicament.

She smiled widely then, still keeping her voice down in order not to wake little Shaan.

“You’re going to be a very good father for them, Gilgamesh.”

As Jini tried to grab his sleeve again, he intercepted her small hand, so she caught his fingers instead, smiling victoriously as her hold tightened. Gilgamesh decided to let his daughter enjoy the successful imprisonment of his fingers, while Arturia watched them in amusement.

She came closer, embracing him around the waist while making sure not to compromise his secure hold of little Jini. “Never would I have been able to imagine you allowing your children to play with you like this.”

He sent her a half-hearted glare, his lips tilting upwards slightly in a new smirk.

“You shouldn’t be so doubtful, Arturia. I allow people I care about to take some liberties.” He pressed a kiss to her brow, so sudden that she was taken by surprise. “And as you know very well, I love our children.”

When she came even closer and kissed him fully on the lips, taking advantage of the fact that both his hands were holding their daughter, his smirk widened into a smile. She was _playing_ too. “Of course though, the only person whom I love more than them is you.”

Arturia’s eyes sparkled with affection, and without the slightest hesitation, she smiled back at him.

...

...

...


End file.
